Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Keeping Threads

The arrival of the new threads from Gentle Arts was the perfect excuse to continue my organization. My threads are already (reasonably) well organized into little shoe boxes. I tied painted scraps of fabric onto the boxes to denote what colors are stored inside. The threads themselves are stored in little baggies; it's the only way I've come up with to keep the skeins and loose threads all together. Whenever I'm working on a project I simply take out the box of the color I'm looking for and sort through until I find the perfect one. My problem arises in that I usually have to take out several before I decide and the "rejects" are simply tossed in a basket to be put away later. I have such a basket in almost every room of my house, as I'm always chasing the sunlight throughout the house when choosing colors. The basket in the photo is just one of many and I'm ashamed to say they were all overflowing.

What seemed a reasonably simple task quickly became something more. The boxes already house more than one color thread: green and blue, orange and yellow and so on. Both to fill the box and to make color placement easier. Still I end up with a brown that is awfully golden, a blue so deep it could be black, and a green that could be brown. Of course, I think a large part of it has to do with my mood. I'll put a particular color in with yellow and then when I finally find it a few months later wonder why on earth it wasn't where it belonged in with the browns. I think I might be making this more complicated than it needs to be :)

I decided to pull out of the boxes all of my DMC threads and store them somewhere else. Where else I haven't decided yet. I also took out all of my Gentle Arts Simply Wool threads and am now keeping them with my wool scraps. I use them almost exclusively for wool applique so this just makes more sense. Or at least it does to me now. Aren't the colors beautiful? They're slightly different in color than their cotton thread counterparts. I don't use them very often but after seeing this photo I'm wondering why not.

I've tried so many different ways to organize threads and am always searching for the next "better" way. How do you keep your threads?

I have mine in floss bags with the type of threads altogether on a round clip ring ie all crescent ,all gast together and just search for the colour I want when needed ... these are stored in cardboard boxes right next to me :) love mouse xxxxx

I keep all my DMC on plastic bobbins in a large plastic screw/nuts & bolts drawer organizer (like my DH would have). I keep my GAST, WDW, etc. stored on rings alphabetically. Not very imaginative, I know. Wish I had a better way to organize those. And I, too, have a basket that I toss the "rejects" into and then end up with a big mess to sort through and return to their rightful places.

I do think you can try to "organize" and then quickly spend all your time maintaining that organization that you could spend on stitching ;o) It's a vicious cycle.

I don't think there is any simple solution on organizing threads. I used to have them organized ~ but the more I stitch the more I find myself setting them on the coffee tables, in decorative boxes, on my craft table, now I think it's out of control. If you come up with something easier ~ please do share.Prim BlessingsRobin

The question of the year...We all have different ways to organize...I have a large basket that holds my rings of GAST, Weeks and Crescent Cottons. They each have their own ring and those rings are alphabetized. Each one is in a flossaway box as I save every little scrap of thread it seems...Then I have a jammer box with dmc wound on bobbin cards. I have extra skeings of DMC and Sullivans in an old DMC drawer box. Then, my silks put in number order on large rings also...Belle Soie, npi, Avas, etc... I thought about grouping according to color, but I am one of those people who use the info from the designer, which is listed by number or name. So, this system works for me... Now if someone could share good ways to store their linen without creases, I will be good to go!

Every time I think I'm organized I find I'm not or I loose something! It just isn't meant to be. I am however keeping my overdyed threads in plastic bags in lovely painted boxes. Just too pricey to buy new all the time.

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I'm a SAHM to four beautifully exasperating children and married to a man who can either be my best friend or worst enemy (depending on my mood). The life of a mother must be constantly interruptable and I wouldn't have it any other way. But in those few moments between interruptions (also known as family) I love making sweet little things that remind me I can do more than change a diaper or sweep up cereal. I can't imagine that anyone else would be interested in what I have to say let alone the things I make but I thought I could share the things I know and help someone else create their own sweet little things.